Shloka 5
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
संशप्तकेषु पार्थश्ष॒ कौरवेषु वृकोदर: । पज्चालेषु तथा कर्ण: क्षयं चक्रुर्महारथा:,अर्जुन संशप्तकोंकी, भीमसेन कौरवोंकी तथा कर्ण पांचालोंकी सेनामें घुसकर युद्ध करते थे! इन तीनों महारथियोंने बहुत-से शत्रुओंका संहार कर डाला
saṁśaptakeṣu pārthaś ca kauraveṣu vṛkodaraḥ | pāñcāleṣu tathā karṇaḥ kṣayaṁ cakrur mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Arjuna engaged the Saṁśaptakas, Bhīma (Vṛkodara) drove into the Kaurava ranks, and Karṇa likewise plunged into the Pāñcāla host. Those three great chariot-warriors wrought vast destruction among their enemies, deepening the day’s slaughter and the moral weight of duty-bound, relentless violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s tension between warrior-duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the grave ethical cost of war: even the greatest heroes, acting with resolve and skill, generate immense destruction, reminding the listener that prowess does not erase the moral burden of slaughter.
Sañjaya reports simultaneous engagements: Arjuna is occupied with the Saṁśaptakas, Bhīma drives into the Kaurava ranks, and Karṇa assaults the Pāñcāla forces. Together these three mahārathas cause heavy casualties across the battlefield.